Production of volatile compounds from irradiated oil emulsion containing amino acids or proteins

Oil emulsions containing amino acids, glutathione, bovine serum albumin, gelatin, or myofibrillar proteins were prepared. The emulsions were irradiated at 0, 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 kGy absorbed doses and analyzed for volatile compounds. Irradiation increased the production of aldehydes (for example, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, and nonanal) indicating that lipid oxidation of oil emulsion was accelerated by irradiation. Irradiation produced, by radiolytic degradations, new volatile compounds from oil emulsions containing leucine, valine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, methionine, or cysteine. This indicated that radiolysis of protein may play an important role in off-odor generation of irradiated meat.